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Abatement
Reduction in the quantity or intensity of greenhouse gas emissions.

Adaptation fund
Fund established to help developing countries meet the cost of adaptation to climate change. See Adaptation levy.

Adaptation Levy
Levy to assist least developed countries (LDCs) through the Adaptation Fund to adapt to climate change. The levy, 2% of the certified emission reductions from the project, is imposed on all CDM projects except those implemented in LDCs.

Additionality principle
The principle that a project should only be able to earn credits if the GHG emission reductions produced by the project are additional to what would have happened in the absence of the carbon credit component.

Additionality tool
Guidelines elaborated by the CDM Executive Board to help assess whether a project is additional or not.

Afforestation and Reforestation (A/R) Projects
Afforestation and reforestation (A/R) projects involve the growing of forest on land that has not been forested for a period of at least 50 years (afforestation) or on non-forested land (reforestation) through planting, seeding and/or the promotion of natural seed sources.

Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU), see Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry

Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS)
Coalition of some 43 low-lying and small island countries that are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise. AOSIS countries were the first to propose a draft text during the Kyoto Protocol negotiations calling for cuts in carbon dioxide emissions of 20% from 1990 levels by 2005.

Allocation
The distribution of allowances to participants in an emissions trading scheme or other entities. Allocation can be done for free or by selling the allowances (see auctioning). Principles for free allocation include grandfathering, benchmarking and projections.

Allowance
Legally defined unit (EUAs, AAUs, RGAs, NZUs and others) that entitles the holder to emit one tonne of CO2e or another quantity of greenhouses gases. Also known as emission allowance or emission permit. See also European Union Allowance (EUA).

Annex B Countries
Annex B countries are the 39 emissions-capped countries listed in Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol. In practice, Annex I of the UNFCCC (see below) and Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol are often used interchangeably.

Annex Z
Annex Z of Marrakech Accords (COP7) defines the maximum amount of forest management credits each Annex I country can use to meet its Kyoto commitments.

Annex I Countries
Include the industrialised OECD countries and countries with economies in transition listed in Annex I of the UNFCCC. Belarus and Turkey are listed in Annex I but not in Annex B; and Croatia, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Slovenia are listed in Annex B but not in Annex I. In practice, however, Annex I of the UNFCCC and Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol are often used interchangeably.

Annex II Countries
Annex II of the UNFCCC includes all original OECD member countries, but not the countries with economies in transition. Annex II countries are required to provide financial resources enabling developing countries to undertake emissions reductions.

Approved Consolidated Methodology (ACM)
Large-scale methodology to calculate emission reductions for a project, approved for use by the Executive Board of the CDM. Consolidated from a number of approved methodologies (AMs).

Approved Methodology (AM)
Methodology approved by the CDM Executive Board to calculate emission reductions for a CDM project that is not small-scale and not an A/R project (see below).

A/R Projects, see Afforestation and Reforestation Projects.

Asia-Pacific Partnership
International non-treaty agreement among Australia, India, Japan, the People's Republic of China, South Korea, and the United States announced 28 July, 2005. The Partnership aims to focus on investment and trade in cleaner energy technologies, goods and services in key market sectors.

Assigned Amount (AA) and Assigned Amount Units (AAUs)
The assigned amount is the total volume of greenhouse gases that each Annex B country is allowed to emit during the first commitment period (see explanation below) of the Kyoto Protocol. An Assigned Amount Unit (AAU) is a tradable unit of 1 tonne CO2e.

Auctioning
Common term used for the sale of allowances, as opposed to allocating them for free. See also Allocation.

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